1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to a call center, and in particular, to a network for a call center that provides personalized services such as health and wellness assessment.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
The aging population of the United States is growing, and health care costs in the United States exceed one trillion dollars per year. In 1996, spending on health care in the United States exceeded fourteen percent of the Gross Domestic Product. Current health care system costs include annual service to over ninety million people in over five thousand hospital emergency departments. These ninety million or more visits impose an enormous burden on emergency departments. Ambulances on route toward the closest available emergency department are often diverted to other hospitals, sometimes located in another city. The cause of such calamities is multi-factorial and includes: nursing shortages, bed unavailability, and grossly overcrowded, overburdened emergency rooms.
With rising health care costs, it is imperative that health care providers provide health services efficiently and cost effectively. At the same time, the administrative demands of medical record keeping, billing and managing a medical practice have become more burdensome. In particular, health care providers must be thorough and keep detailed records of medical exams to accurately document observations and services that have been provided.
One health care product growing in popularity is a wellness plan. The principal objective of a wellness plan is to keep a patient well. A wellness plan provides a way for a patient to pre-pay or pay on a schedule for medical services. Under a typical plan, the patient is entitled to preventative care services and discounts on other types of medical services. By establishing periodic visits at least once a year, wellness plans enable health problems to be identified and treated early. It is generally understood that the cost of healthcare rises exponentially the longer a health problem is postponed. Thus, wellness plans can drastically reduce healthcare costs by encouraging office visits that help identify and resolve health problems early.
While wellness plans are an effective way to keep patients healthy, they are difficult and costly to administer and promote. As such there is a need for a more effective approach to managing wellness plans and the personalized services that go with them.
Studies show that over 83% of seniors want to stay in their existing home as long as possible rather than move into a smaller home or retirement community. They also recognize that they need to make some changes in order to continue living in their homes. Many of the activities that they used to do on their own will need to be done by others as they age in place. These include things such as personal care, transportation, medication management, home and yard maintenance, meal preparation, etc. Keeping these seniors in their homes is a large part of a good wellness plan and can greatly reduce their overall cost of care. Knowing about and locating all the different providers of these services is difficult for the senior and/or their caregivers. As such there needs to be a single place to contact for help in connecting to good reputable senior focused service organizations.